Christmas night deaths in Dallas highlight complexity of homelessness

Sometime on Christmas night, after a dusting of snow and as temperatures dipped into the 20s, a homeless man and woman dropped to the ground in Dallas.

They were found frozen Wednesday morning — one outside a church in Old East Dallas, the other a few blocks from the Bridge, the 75,000-square-foot taxpayer-supported homeless shelter.

The Dallas County medical examiner’s office has not determined a cause of death for either person. There were no outward signs of trauma, Dallas police said.

Two days after the man’s body was discovered, the remnants of his life on the street still lay steps from Emanuel Lutheran Church. There was a broomstick with a nail protruding from the handle — a homemade tool often used by the homeless to collect aluminum cans — a gray baseball cap with the words “Grand Prairie Fire Department,” a yellow rain slicker and a plastic dish with frozen mashed potatoes.

The coroner’s office did not release his name because it has not been able to locate any family members. He was 60 years old, police said.

The woman was identified Thursday as 50-year-old Kathryn Perez.

Her mother, Patricia Godefroy, 80, of Farmers Branch, said her daughter had been living on the streets of Dallas for a few years.

“This is something that goes back a long time,” she said. “I just feel like she got hooked up with the wrong people. She was always trying to rescue the down-and-outers and they always seemed to pull her down.”

Homeless advocates said the deaths are a reminder of the complexities of issues such as substance abuse and mental illness, which are often at the core of why people don’t have a place to live.

Shelters have space

The deaths were also poignant because of their timing. On Christmas Eve, the Omni Dallas Hotel had opened its doors to 500 homeless men, women and children.

The eighth annual Celebrate Jesus event was put on by SoupMobile, a nonprofit mobile soup kitchen.

Officials said shelters have been busy during the recent cold snap, but plenty of space is available.

The Bridge can provide emergency shelter for at least 100 people a night, a number that can increase as needed. This week, attendance has been between 52 and 90 people. More than 200 others stay in the facility’s transitional housing wings, and about 1,200 people a day use the shelter’s medical, substance abuse and job-placement programs.

“We’re certainly not turning anyone away, and I’m not aware of any of our partners turning anyone away, either,” said Jay Dunn, president and CEO of the Bridge. “All indicators are that things are getting better in Dallas, but then when people are found dead from the cold, it just reminds you of the work to be done.”

Pat Patey, a spokesman for the Salvation Army, said 143 people stayed at its shelter on Christmas night, which is about 34 more than normal. He said other rooms at its facility on Harry Hines Boulevard can be converted to emergency shelter space if necessary.

“People have free will to make their own choices,” he said. “And on nights as cold as they’ve been, we sure hope people will come inside and get warm and take care of themselves.”

‘I feel helpless’

Julio Cruz-Natal, pastor of Emanuel Lutheran, said he was convinced the church needs to do more after the man’s body was discovered Wednesday morning. Church members provide Narcotics Anonymous classes once a week and run a food bank every Tuesday morning, but he said the 100-member church may convert one of its rooms to an emergency shelter when the weather turns cold.

“In times like this, God’s voice is clearly asking, ‘Are we doing everything we can do to help each other?’” said Cruz-Natal. “I feel helpless, and I’m not sure we’re doing enough.”

Cruz-Natal said he prayed for forgiveness when he looked out the window moments after firefighters arrived. He also prayed that the man’s family would be found, and that someone would claim his body.

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